Workers install the final restored stained glass windows in the Chapel of the Holy Name of Jesus (small chapel). These beautiful original art pieces — already more than a century old — now have new life breathed into them, after undergoing a restoration and preservation that will serve for another 100 years. The window restoration was a meticulous and painstaking process to repair and restore the pieces created by artists of Meyer of Munich, Germany in the late 19th century. Watch a video detailing the stained glass restoration process. 

Parent volunteers treated faculty and staff to a bountiful spread of lunch options on Tuesday during exam week. Homemade entrees, sides, soups, salads, and desserts filled the tables in the cafeteria. A group of Jesuit mothers, coordinated by Mrs. Kim Lee, helped to make this treat possbile. Some of those volunteers are pictured here (from left): Celeste Arseneaux, Liz Creel, Nancy Whitsell, Sammie Bohn, Dina Zelden, Kim Lee, Alison James, Anna Heim, Veronica Douget, and Barbara Koenig. Teachers and staff extend all the volunteers a hearty “Thank you!”

Junior Andre Nguyen hands a pretzel to senior Henry Creel during lunch on Friday. Creel was one of hundreds of Blue Jays who vowed to eat only the soft bread and water for lunch as part of their Lenten sacrifice. This was the second year Campus Ministry hosted the Pretzel Fast. For centuries, many Catholics have seen pretzels as a symbolic reminder of Lenten prayer, sacrifice, and fasting. According to pretzel maker Snyder’s of Hanover, in the early 7th century a young Italian monk was preparing a special Lenten bread made of water, flour and salt. To remind his brother monks that Lent was a time of prayer, he rolled the bread dough in strips and then shaped each strip in the form of crossed arms, mimicking the then-popular prayer position of folding one’s arms over each other across the chest.

Sophomore Patrick Hazard doesn’t let the falling temperatures stop him from enjoying a frozen treat. Br. Billy Dardis, S.J. ’58 frequently sets up a table near the Student Commons to sell a variety of sweet treats to hungry Blue Jays. The proceeds from Brother’s efforts benefit the mission drive. During this Lenten season filled with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, Blue Jays can find several ways to give to those less fortunate and be conscious of the needs of others — such as the lunch pizza sales or Friday’s pretzel fast.

At the front of the line, freshman Robert Argote eagerly awaits a slice of pizza from Mr. Cyril Lagvanec during lunch on Wednesday. Homeroom 1203 sells 30-40 pizzas ($2 a slice or $12 for a whole pie) to hungry Blue Jays daily throughout Lent to support the school-wide Mission Drive. All proceeds go to the Santa Rosa missions in Paraguay.

As the work on “100-year renovation” of the Chapel of the Holy Name of Jesus (small chapel) enters its final stages, the intricate stained glass of the central dome shines brighter than ever. Students and faculty/staff members walking through the second floor hallway of the administration wing regularly peek in to watch as construction progresses. Drawing on the Moresque style of Immaculate Conception Church on Baronne Street, the chapel was originally built downtown in 1901 as part of the Jesuit College, as the school was then known. When Jesuit built its high school at the current location, the stained glass, altar, and pews of the chapel were reconstructed on site.

Mrs. Meg Jennings brought her camera to the Media Club’s photography workshop led by parent volunteer Jeff Strout. Pre-freshman Travis Talamo, junior Cameron Armand, and sophomore Luke Navarro also attended in hopes to learn more about the art and science of photography. Strout, who has been a professional photographer for over 20 years, explained how to best use various digital camera settings to get the perfect shot. Future workshops will be posted in Daily Announcements.

Junior Malachi Hull executes an extremely difficult reverse dunk during a lunchtime contest held Friday by the Student Council in the Traditions Courtyard. The purpose of this fun dunking event was to “net” student support of Jesuit’s basketball and soccer teams, both of which are currently in post-season playoffs for a state championship. The Blue Jay soccer team plays St. Paul’s on Saturday night for the state championship. Unfortunately, the Blue Jay cagers were bounced in the first round following their 61-46 loss to Mandeville Friday evening in the Skippers’ gym.

Communications director and Jaynotes editor Pierre DeGruy ’69 takes a photo of Blue Jay alumni who were star players and co-captains on Jesuit’s state championship football teams. From left are Al Widmer ’43, Don Ford ’47, Will Billon ’54, and Larry Ecuyer ’61. Widmer, a halfback on offense who also played as a defensive back, was on Jesuit’s 1940 and 1941 state championship teams. Ford was the Blue Jays’ right guard on the 1946 state championship team. Billon and Ecuyer were centers and linebackers on Jesuit’s 1953 and 1960 championship teams, respectively. On the table in front of the quartet are the trophies that represent Jesuit’s eight football state championships: 1933, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1953, 1960, and 2014, the most recent prize won by the Blue Jays last December.  The photo will be featured as part of a retrospective article in the upcoming issue of Jaynotes, the magazine of Jesuit High School.

Junior Trey Hollander signs up to receive more information about volunteering with Youth Rebuilding New Orleans (YRNO) and visits with the group’s executive director William Stoudt ’07. YRNO was one of several service organizations on campus as part of the annual service fair. Blue Jays attending the fair were able to get information on a range of service opportunities and meet with agency representatives. 

If these Blue Jays have 3 minutes left to study, how many seconds does that equal? Students in Ms. Khan Nguyen’s Algebra I class ask a few final questions about equations to help sharpen their skills before they sharpen their pencils for a test.  

Several Blue Jays rode in Metairie’s Krewe of Argus Parade on Mardi Gras Day. Maddie Cvitanovich served as Queen of Argus. Maddie is a senior at Mt. Carmel Academy and a Jesuit cheerleader. Pictured here are Blue Jay seniors Dan Edmund, Cole Guillory, Harrison Daste, Will Arnold, Daniel Augustin, David Boh, Logan Hornung, Andrew Amedee, and Blake Eichhorn, sophomore Todd Crabtree, and seniors Blake Jaubert and Will Arseneaux. 

Today’s king cake party during lunch was complete with a small band playing popular Mardi Gras tunes in Traditions Courtyard. Mr. Jason Giaccone led on trumpet, Mr. Andrew Dykema joined in on clarinet, and Ms. Nilda Rivera picked up a napkin from a nearby table for a “Second Line.”  And, as the “Carnival Time” lyrics go, “everybody’s havin’ fun.”

Blue Jays celebrated Chinese New Year and the year of the goat a week early. Students noshed on General Tso chicken, fried rice, and fortune cookies for lunch in the cafeteria. Blue Jays also had a chance to win one of four gift cards to Panda Express. Joining in on the culinary fun are (clockwise, from left) sophomores Julian Mahfouz, Justin Leveque, Richi Fernando, B.J. Guient, and Hayden Lichtl. 

Mr. Patrick Benoit’s French students were among the first Blue Jays to visit with some extraordinary guests today. Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Garcia of the Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard brought two horses to sit a spell (or stand, as horses do) to campus. This military unit performs precision color guard movements in numerous types of events and will show off their talents in three different parades this Mardi Gras. This unit is stationed aboard the Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow, Ca., representing the Marine Corps and the Logistics Base throughout the United States. Read more about their visit.

Pre-freshman Gavin Skipper (left) gets animated while talking with classmates Owen Hite and Ben Wessel in the Traditions Courtyard Tuesday afternoon.